Contact Us


Hours of Operation
Monday - Friday
8.00am - 5.30pm

Phone
+61 2 92231522

Fax
+61 2 92237646

Email
clerk@statechambers.net

Address
Level 36,
52 Marin Place,
Sydney NSW 200

Online Enquiry

* Required fields

Dr Sean A Baron Levi

 

Contact Details

Phone: +61 2 9223 1522
Email: baronlevi@statechambers.net

Date of Admission to the Bar

2010

Date of Admission as a Solicitor

1999

Areas of Practice

  • Commercial & Equity
  • Public & private international law & arbitration
  • White collar, complex & international crime
  • Insolvency

Admissions

  • Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York (2012)
  • High Court of Australia (2010)
  • Supreme Court of England and Wales (2008)
  • Supreme Court of New South Wales (1999)

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Economics with Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours (Macquarie University)
  • Master of Laws with Distinction in Public International Law (University of Edinburgh)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Public International Law (University of Edinburgh)

Appointments

  • Adjunct lecturer in international law at the University of New England Law School
  • Member of the International Committee of the NSW Bar Association

 


Practice Overview

Dr Sean BARON LEVI is a member of the New South Wales and New York bars. He has a busy commercial & equity practice and advises and appears in matters raising issues of private and public international law and complex white collar and international crime.

He has advised or appeared in numerous matters involving conflict of laws, enforcement of foreign judgments, international trade, international arbitration, international extradition, and complex financial & international criminal matters.

He also acts in general commercial matters and corporate and personal Insolvency.

Dr Baron Levi is currently adjunct lecturer in public international law at the University of New England School of Law.

Prior to being called to the bar he practiced in the Public International Law group of New York-based law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf. He acted for and advised Sovereign States and corporations in matters involving treaty-based international arbitrations, international trade, oil & gas disputes, the law of armed conflict, use of force, human rights and international criminal law. 

Whilst at Dewey & LeBoeuf Dr Baron Levi established the Global Investigations & Defense practice group, which acted for States and Corporations in international investigations, white collar crime and international criminal matters.

Dr Baron Levi has provided advices to prime ministers, foreign ministers, attorneys general and justice ministers in relation to matters including the creation of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission (to investigate the assassination of Rafic Hariri), the bombing of a Lebanese port, the murder of a senior diplomat of a Persian Gulf State while on mission abroad, the state and sovereign immunities of parties to the principal litigation arising out of the bombing of the World Trade Center, and the representation of a large telecommunications company in relation to Southern Africa’s largest white collar criminal investigation.

A winner of the Chevening Scholarship from the British Foreign Office, Dr Baron Levi received an LLM and PhD in public international law from the University of Edinburgh School of Law where he was a tutor and sessional lecturer in public international and criminal law.


 

Career Summary

2010 – present:

Barrister – Sydney      

2006 – 2009:

Attorney, Public International Law & Global Investigations & Defense Groups, Dewey & LeBoeuf, London

2004 – 2005:

Solicitor, Legal Aid Commission of New South Wales, criminal law             

2000 – 2003:

Tutor & Lecturer in public international & criminal law, University of Edinburgh;

University of Edinburgh, PhD in public international / international criminal law

1999 – 2000:

University of Edinburgh, LLM (with Distinction), in public international law

1998:

Legal Researcher to the Equity Division of the Supreme Court of New South Wales          

1993 – 1997:

Macquarie University, LLB(Hons)(First Class)(Prize for graduating first place in final year law) 

Recently Concluded Cases

  • Drive My Car Rentals Pty Ltd v Gabriel [2021] NSWCA 73 (led by Bret Walker SC) 
  • Yunghanns v Colquhoun-Denvers [2021] VSCA 15 (led by Bret Walker SC) 
  • Adelaide Concrete Cutting & Drilling Pty Ltd v Marino [2021] NSWSC 1034 
  • Opera Properties P/L v The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust [2021] NSWSC 1436 

Further Selected Cases 

Commercial & Equity 

  • Secure Parking Pty Ltd v Woollahra Municipal Council, NSW Court of Appeal (led by Bret Walker SC) 
  • Gabriel v Grech, Supreme Court of New South Wales 
  • Hanna v Uther, Webster & Evans, Supreme Court of New South Wales 
  • Alfasi Equipment Hire Pty Ltd v Miklichenko, Supreme Court of New South Wales 
  • DCE Global Pty Ltd v Port Botany Operations Pty Ltd, Supreme Court of New South Wales  
  • In the Matter of Passion Projects Pty Ltd, Supreme Court of New South Wales 
  • Arora Markets Pty Ltd v Workers Compensation Nominal Insurer, Supreme Court of NSW 
  • Onik New Energy Australia Pty Ltd v Henderson, Supreme Court of New South Wales 
  • Byrne Lewis Group Pty Ltd v ANZ Banking Group Pty Ltd, Supreme Court of New South Wales 
  • MM International Pty Ltd v Workers Compensation Nominal Insurer, Supreme Court of NSW 
  • Nazoner Pty Ltd v Vow Financial Pty Ltd, Supreme Court of New South Wales 
  • Vaissade Pty Ltd v Nguyen, Supreme Court of New South Wales 
  • Teiping Wang v Yi Wu, Supreme Court of New South Wales 
  • Australia Sunrise Development Pty Ltd v Haiyan Zeng, Supreme Court of Queensland 
  • Hi-Tech Pty Ltd v NEC, Supreme Court of Victoria 
  • United Cinemas Australia Pty Ltd v Gungahlin Lifestyle Pty Ltd, ACT Supreme Court 

Intellectual Property 

  • Eify Systems Pty Ltd v 3D Safety Services Pty Ltd, Federal Court of Australia (Appellate Jurisdiction) 
  • Eify Systems Pty Ltd v 3D Safety Services Pty Ltd, New South Wales Supreme Court 
  • G1PC Pty Ltd v Petstock Pty Ltd, Federal Court of Australia 
  • Australian Fifty Leaders Pty Ltd v LawCover, Federal Court of Australia 

Conflict of Laws 

  • Chen, Supreme Court of New South Wales (Enforcement of Chinese Judgment) 
  • Chamarro v P&O, Supreme Court of NSW (Application of the laws of the French Republic) 
  • LexisNexis, Supreme Court of New South Wales (Exception to State Immunity) 

Constitutional / National Security 

  • Jaffarie v Director General of Security, Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia 
  • Jaffarie v Director General of Security, High Court of Australia (Special Leave) 

International Arbitration 

  • Oil & Gas arbitration, SIAC, Arbitration 131/2015 (secretariat) 
  • Expropriation arbitration, ICSID Arbitration ARB/13/33 (advice) 
  • IP/Contract arbitration, HKIAC Arbitration (advice) 

 

Recent Presentations

  • Enforcement of Australian Judgments Overseas , presented at the request of the Australian Lawyers Alliance, 11 November 2021